


[un]reasonable treason

by Voidromeda



Category: Starfighter (Comic)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 20:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20453063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voidromeda/pseuds/Voidromeda
Summary: Ethos has doubts about the successful mutiny, perhaps some that are unjustified. Praxis isn't really qualified to talk about it.





	[un]reasonable treason

**Author's Note:**

> _29th of August, 2019, MerriamWebster's Word of the day:_  
Augur  
_verb_ | AW-gur
> 
> **Definition:**
> 
>   * to foretell especially from omens
>   * to give premise of : presage
> 
> I wanted to write something based off of the word of the day. I don't know what I wrote, frankly.

“Do you think the mutiny will help anyone any?” Ethos asks in the dead of night, a day after a rather successful rebellion. Praxis jolts up and nearly falls from his bunk, and how embarrassing will that be? He sits still on his bunk above, where below the linguist lays and loudly contemplates. “I don’t know what it will spill out for us. Perhaps we’ll be tried as criminals of the state for doing this to our superiors – us Navigators, I mean. I don’t know what will become of you, Fighters.”

Praxis’ heart beats ever slowly in his chest – against his ribs, the muscle thudding sardonically gently against his rattling bones. His hands ball into shaky fists upon his thin blanket, warmth but a distant dream – as it always has been, for years upon years. “Some of us are from Earth,” Praxis says after a far too long time, where he worries Ethos may have gone back to sleep, “though most are from the Colonies. I think those on Earth will be tried the same as you Navigators.”

There is a bark of harsh, scornful laughter from below that shocks Praxis. He fights back the temptation to bend over and look upon Ethos’ form to see what face he is making, whether or not he is crying, why it is that he laughs so coldly. His hands uncurl when his blanket rips. “I wonder if there is a large alien federation out there,” Ethos says, “and I wonder if they can see what we’re doing, and if they’re judging us. Do they think we’re silly for engaging against the Colterons? Do they think that neither sides of this war are justified? Are they just waiting for the perfect chance to wipe us and the Colterons out?”

Praxis swallows. “I don’t know,” he says, “I don’t know anything about that. Wouldn’t the Alliance have told us by now if something like that exists? With their whole, advanced and fancy tech and their –” _too bright, too smart, too pragmatic _“– trained navigators?”

Silence drags out, from his heart and to his racing mind; though his body is still irritably calm, as though his brain cannot grasp their conversation. Perhaps that is not too far from the truth; is it trained calm that lets him sit so still and patient, is it exhaustion that refuses to let his body catch up, or is it that he is too oblivious to understand the gravitas of Ethos’ words? He hears gentle rustling and creaking from the bunk beneath him. “There are things even we didn’t know.” Ethos says, almost inaudibly. “Things that Phobos had to break laws for and nearly get sent to the brig to for us to know. Things that perhaps we will never know. Things that they hide so deep underneath their mountains of secrets that we might never dig them out.”

“Then,” Praxis' mouth moves without his commanding, the words already out before he realises, “what is the point of you Navigators? Of the Alliance? Of us Fighters?”

Another laugh.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ethos says. “There is no point. In the future, we will be tried as war criminals and perhaps executed for doing something so treasonous and dangerous. The laws and treatment of the colonies will worsen, and security will be even stricter. We’ll be turned inside out. And this is all if we can’t find evidence to prove we were in the right. Officials have ways of wiping their slate clean and dirtying others.” Praxis closes his eyes. “Maybe we’ll be able to shock the general populace and reveal truths. Maybe we’ll be branded as dangerous and our words turned to lies.

“There is no point, and perhaps this mutiny won’t help us any. Perhaps it will help us a lot. Perhaps it’ll open the eyes of the world. For now? We just have to wait until we get back to Earth, how many years later. Goodnight, Praxis.”

**Author's Note:**

> [My carrd,](https://theladyprince.carrd.co/) in case you wish to find me.


End file.
